This invention relates to composite strips for mouldings, frames and the like, and to a method of making such composite strips.
Strips are widely used for mouldings, frames, shelving, door jambs, window sills, drawers, cabinets, doors, furniture components, flooring, and other structural and decorative products. The term "mouldings, frames and the like" as used herein is intended to cover all such products. Often it is desired that the strip have quality finish on one or more surfaces, which may be obtained by using a quality wood, veneer, plastic, aluminum or other material as desired. Usually, this quality material is relatively expensive. At the same time, the entire strip need not be made of a quality material, and a lower cost material such as particle board and similar composite products may be utilized as a portion of the strip, typically for a core as contrasted to a visually exposed portion. Also, sometimes it is desirable to provide a stronger core material as a reinforcement for a weaker quality visually exposed material, or vice-versa.
Customarily, several strips are milled from single rectangular pieces cut from a composite panel or finger jointed blank or a solid wood board or plank. Additionally, two or more discrete strip pieces may be individually glued together to form a single strip. This glueing process is slow, costly and labor intensive.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved composite strip which is satisfactory for use in place of the conventional strip, while at the same time utilizing less expensive material and also being producible at relatively high production rates and relatively low cost. An additional object is to provide a plurality of such strips as a series of connected strips in a new composite panel form or as individual strips which can be flat or machined to various profiles and contours as desired. Another object is to provide glued composite strips where a core component of lesser cost and/or quality can be concealed from view by a higher quality and/or more expensive component at selected surfaces as desired for the end use of the strip. Other objects, advantages, features and results will more fully appear in the course of the following description.